Author: Kathryn Way

A poorly-kept Texan secret is the half-joking, half-dead-serious rivalry between Houston and Dallas. It’s a superiority contest that prompts audiences to groan and giggle when Dallas is mentioned on stage at a comedy show. There’s a particular sting when popular acts visit Austin and Dallas on tour but skip over Houston — we’re so much bigger than Dallas! Our restaurant scene is amazing! We have UGK and Rothko Chapel and Ninfa’s ! At the end of the day,...

Winning Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Academy Awards, Netflix’s Roma made headlines for its emotional portrayal of a domestic worker's journey in Mexico City's Roma district in 1970. Roma’s buzz also followed its star, Yalitza Aparicio, the first indigenous woman nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards. From speaking a combination of Spanish and the indigenous dialect Mixtec on screen to representing her Oaxacan community at the Oscar’s,...

Eschewing the more scientific name of “crayfish” for the more down-home “crawfish,” Houston’s crawfish season is like a nonstop party from January to July. Eaten by Native Americans for ages, after The Great Expulsion of 1755, French Acadians from the Canadian maritime provinces arrived in Louisiana desperately missing their seafood staple, lobster. Settling for seafood that's not even from the sea, crawfish became a seasonal delicacy that trickled along...

Imported by the French in 1699 New Orleans, Mardi Gras was dubbed “Fat Tuesday” because it was the last hurrah of binge-eating delicious food before forty days of fasting for Lent. Now a raucous carnival that goes beyond food and into all stripes of indulgence, about 50 miles south of Houston is our own version of the infamous New Orleans Mardi Gras parade. Galveston happens to have the third largest Mardi Gras celebration in the country, and from February 22-March 5 , Galveston is...

There’s a very 1980’s, brick-wall-stage-background misconception about earning your place in standup comedy requiring a minimum experience of several years. This outdated flavor of gatekeeping has long been the tool of the majority to claim ownership over a thing so nebulous, so ever-changing as comedy. While the old guard gives way to younger models, comedy is constantly evolving to keep pace with our constantly-evolving world. Newcomers like Kari Burt who hit the ground running...

From Scotch to rye to Bourbon, whiskey is the ultimate wintertime beverage. The cozy bodily warmth that follows a hearty glass of whiskey makes it pretty easy to understand why George Bernard Shaw once dubbed it, “liquid sunshine.” Houston’s multi-million-dollar hospitality industry pairs with its bubbling bar scene like a classic Scotch and a grilled steak. With winter upon us for a few more months, some of the best boozy joints are just around the corner. Housed in the...

Brush away the emotional dust of 2018 and face the new year head-on as a triumph and a challenge—bring it on, 2019, because we got this. Naturally, as one of the most diverse cities in the country, Houston’s queer New Year’s Eve celebrations cover everything from black tie vibes, to booty shorts and blacklights, to champagne and glitter. Break out the femme formalwear and dapper bowties at Pearl Bar , Houston’s top lesbian bar located right in the middle of...

A writer, artist, comedian, sex worker, podcaster, and a virgo, Britt Vasicek contains multitudes. She’s a glass-half-full kind of person, and in that glass is a bubbling mimosa. Britt is an experience — a performance — but she’s not putting on an act. While many of us perform normality or virtue every day as upright citizens, Britt performs authenticity — outward expressions of genuine vulnerability, giddiness, graciousness, righteousness. Her preferred medium...

Whether your idea of holiday traditions include family or chosen family, tamales or baked ham, Houston offers some of the best events to make memories with loved ones this season. live music December 7th at Cullen Theater at Wortham Theater Center, The Houston Latin American Philharmonic presents its annual concert, Latin Christmas. In typical Houstonian fashion, The Houston Latin American Philharmonic is the only professional orchestra in the United States that presents programs of traditional

The very center of Houston’s cultural heart is its Museum District with an official association of 19 institutions celebrating art, history, culture, and science. Known for its rich diversity, Houston’s unique collection of museums reflects its notorious melting pot status. Fine art museums are often the more prominent attractions, but with everything from a bicycle museum to an original 1940s art deco aviation museum , Houston’s colorful variety of institutions off the...